sosasoe pa rage @ NECRON TACTICS By Elan Stein ‘The following is a fleet analysis of the Necrons in Battefleet Gothic, The article is broken down into five segments: Necron Advantages, Necron Disadvantages, Individual Vessel Capabilities Assessment, Commonly Used ‘Tacties, and Common Necron Player Errors. NECRON ADVANTAGES ‘The Necrons' offensive advantages stem mostly feom their unique weapons systems. The weapons available to the Necrons are the Star pulse generator, gauss particle whip, lighening are and portals, Gauss particle whips act as lances, but with a pair of advantages over typical Batlefleet Gothic lances. Not only do these weapon systems hit on a 4+, but any hit of a 6 ‘will bypass a targets shields. In addition, particle whips, Unlike other ances from any other eace, will automatically bypass an Eldar vessel's holofields or shadowtilds ‘The lightoing ar is the Necron equsvalent of bateres, but ‘once again has a pair of advantages over typical weapon Datceries. Firstly all targets count as closing, regardless of the target's actual orientation to the firing vessel ot vessels. Secondly, the lightning arc is completely unaffected by holofields or shadowelds, and not only Ignore the 2+ Save like every other battery, but~and this Is the unique part about it~ never getting a right column, shut for firing at such a vessel “The Star pulse generator is a unique Necron ares-ffect ‘weapon, which can potentially strike any ship within 20cm. Like most Necron weapons st has the ability £0 Ignore holofields and shadowelds Finally, the Necrons’ portal arays are an entirely unique ability on the fleet's part and gives additional teleport atcacks tothe vessel. ‘The Necron defensive advantages lle with their reactive hull plating and thelr Armour Save capabilites, n addition to their turret protection and ability to phase out on a ‘whim, NNecrons lack true shielding in preference for an Armour Save system (enuch like the saves earned by ships on Brace for Impact). This allows Necron vessels to make Armour Saves against ordnance and atack craft which otherwise ‘would have been far more dangerous to a ship which relies on shields———— sosasoe pa rage 3 A Reactive hulls provide numerous benefits to the Necrons vessels. First of, gives the ship immunity to the afects ff any solar flares, radiation bursts, dust clouds, gas clouds, or Blast markers, This extends into a benefit towards damage repaic checks, as they will never be halved due to being in contact with Blast markers or dust and gas clouds. Secondly, any repair checks done are successful on a D6 roll of 4 or higher, unlike everyone else ‘who must score a6. This means the Necron fleet can make many more repairs than most fleets per turn, Thirdly, che reactive hulls. allow fecron vessels to increase their [Armour Save to a 2+ ifbraced, rather than ts typical save Finally all Necron ships, escorts included, start off with the highest Armour rating possible from all angles, making dificult hic them with battery fice. ‘Add to that the large amount of turret coverage on Necron ‘apital ships and one ends up with 2 fleet that is dificult to harm using ordnance and fatty resilient against other forms of attack too. Also, Necrons possess the ability to phase out vessels atthe player's choice without needing to soll a Leadership test at the end of the Necron, Movement phase, thus avoiding the death of certain high priced vessels. ‘The Star pulse generator also provides a considerable defensive advantage, since it can also be used for the job ‘of ordnance removal. Asa defensive weapon, it can do a lot of damage to enemy ordinance within its 20 em radius of effect, all the more so when two of more Star pulse ‘Renerators ate ‘layered! of used at the same time on the same slice of space. Asi hts all targets within is range like a euret, and as it can take on all types of ordnance simultaneously (e, both attack craft and torpedoes), i¢can, ‘lear a swathe through ordnance filled space very quickly and very efficent. ‘The Sepulchre is a O41 : choice available as an upgrade to the Cairn. This means that the upgrade is ‘optional, but if one is taken, it is the only one that may be used, and a fleet may have only one Sepulchre because of it Against ordnance, i€ functions like a Star pulse generator with the exception that it destroys all ‘ordnance on a 4* including pesky Eldar, Space Marine or ‘Tau ordnance which normally require a 6 to desteoy. In addition, the Sepulchre may also be fired against an ‘enemy ship. I so, € can potentially reduce the enemy vessel's Leadership permanently, as well a¢ disallow chat vessel any special orders for the curn, including Brace for Impact. Ie also gives the Caira using this upgrade a Leadership value of 10,Fano9_98-14 28/9/08 11:13 an Page 10 Finally although not a weapon system per se, the Necrons speed is a major advantage. It can be used 10 fee, fight, or reposition them to do one oF the other ‘quickly. The feet is amongst the fastest in Batleflect Gothic, only matched by the Eldar and Dark Eldar However, even the Eldar are blown away as soon as the Necrons’ special Inerialess Drive is given All Ahead Full, ‘orders. This makes the Necrons both the most manoeuvrable fleet under All Ahead Full as well as the fastest possible fleet in the game. NECRON DISADVANTAGES For every advantage, the Necrons have a disadvantage ‘The offensive disadvantages are found in the Necrons’ firepower. Point for point, the Necrons are undergunned ‘compared to most flets. This means that in an equal points engagement, the Necrons will be unable to cause as much damage to the enemy fleet per turn as most fother fleets could, In addition, the ranges of Necron weapon systems are decidedly short, with the one weapon reaching past 30cm being their ‘gauss particle whips. This forces the Necton fleet to fll back on, their defensive advantages to win ‘through atteition, sometimes ualising their Brace for Impact 2+ save, which in turn has the disadvantage of halving the ship’s already low levels of firepower in addition to disabling any Portal and Teleport atacks, and can cause their defensive disadvantages to become more telling Defensive disadvantages forthe Necron fleet can be found in the Armour Save system, While iti true that having an Armour Save will prevent damage under 2 hard bombardment in way superior to shields, and whilst It may prevent damage by ordnance, it offers worse protection per hi sficted than shields, “This makes the Necron fleet more suscepuible to taking damage from pot shots. This Is ‘especially rue when faced with the prospect of lances being fired towards them, which bypass the Necrons’ ‘ypically high armour of 6 by hiting them on a 4+ instead, This could make s necessary for the [Necron vessel or squadson to Brace for Impact, Which brings with ic yet further dificult. J se portals and ctepoe tac the Star pulue generator and Sepulchre cannot function when under the Brace for Impact pei rr in adon since ship ean ure nly single peal order a 1 ume Bracing for impact wl prevent the use of Al Ahead Fl spec ore and othe creme moby of the Neon fest sot B As a final disadvantage, the Necron Victory Points ‘able is extremely severe ifany ships ae lost. A all costs, one must never lose a capital ship, of else ‘they might very well lose the game then and there, even ifthe enemy fleet is completely neutralised. Even worse, the harsh cost of ‘Victory Points against the Necron fleet provides yet another incentive to Brace for Impact, imparting all the negative side aifects of this special order. INDIVIDUAL VESSEL ‘CAPABILITIES ASSESSMENT ‘The Cairn class Tombship This vessel is closest toa batleship the Necrons possess. AS far as ie basie stat line is concemed, i is 90 faster than most Datceships, and certainly Is not the fastest of its ‘equivalent class. However, ¢ possesses perhaps the biggest firepower levels of any battleship in the game. Its total capabilities are nearly ‘on par with those of a palr of Scythes working together. Ic is also the only vessel in the Necron fleet ‘which can take a Sepulchre. Able to reap an impressive amount of damage at 30cm of less, cis ship is threat on. the battlefield. Even at 4Scm, tis ship’ lances are able to keep an enemy cruiser at bay: It is both a powerful ‘weapon and a serious liability. Powerful in its weapon systems, but due to the Victory Points table the Necrons suffer from, if this vessel becomes hulked of even destroyed, i€ could spell end game to Necron fleets at of ‘below 2,000 pointsaivr0s Fano9_98-14 9 pa Page 11 ‘The Scythe class Harvester “This isthe Necron equivalent to a full on cruiser, With a strong, multidirectional lance array and a respectable battery Toad out, this ship forms theo backbone of many a. Necron feet Highly capable agalnstany adversary, ithas no single glaring weakness other then the Necrons’ typical capital ship Victory Points table and minor undergunning for its points value. A pair of these are much more preferable than a single Cairn with a Sepulchee, offering tighter tutns, faster speed, double the Star pulse generators, 2 more teleport attacks, 2 more gauss particle whips, and 4 ‘more combined Hit Points at the cost of 4 less lightning arcs, and under the mass rurrets rules the duo can put out just the same amount of turret coverage per vessel. In addition, having a pair of Scythes actas damage control as far as VP ate concerned over taking a single Calen. For example, a Cairn with Sepulchre which takes 6 points of damage puts out 275 points to the enemy, but if the 10 Seythes take 6 points of damage between them, itis, at most, 198 VE. Ie could even be no VP if both ships cook $ bits. ‘The Shroud class Light Cruiser This ship can provide invaluable Leadership boosting capability to the rest of the fleet. Ie can also provide an Achilles heel as well. With its sensor abies, one’s fleet can get beeween +1 and +2 Leadership to all vessels so long as fone Shroud is not crippled. However, ifs crippled, those abilities go away, and as a Shroud only has 4 hits, only 2 hits must be inflicted to render its gift 0 the leet dead. That is why, this ship is taken, it should be used with care, Never fleld it alone. Always have it paired up with at least 2 Scythes to run, lncerference against attack runs made towards It Keep it as far away from the enemy itself as possible. It does, however, boast a potent lighting arc aay which can come tm handy as extra attacks against an enemy vessel. Tas ship 1s a true double-edged sword a8 can either help the fleet's Leadership out in an important time, oF clse hurt the fleet severely ikilled due to the Victory Points table the Necrons possess ‘The Jackal class Raider “This 4 one of the two escorts that the Necrons possess. lis a fas, very well armed vessel with the unique ability amongst any Mee's escorts 10 lniuate teleport ateacks against other vessels, so long. as the target has 6 hits or less remaining, that is. Jackals are powerful ships, and as they are escorts, they do not sur from the Necro Vietory Points table. lighter armed, faster ship than the Jackal. This makes deal to take on the faster lets inthe ‘game, such as the Eldar or Datk Eldar. Once again, a an ‘escort, it does not suffer from the Necron Victory Points ‘able ‘The Diege class Raider ‘The Dirge is the other escort available to the Necrons. Ie is a COMMONLY USED TACTICS Necrons can epicomise the meaning of shoot and scoot ‘They were designed originally to bea true raiding fleet, 0 hic hard and fast, than get out before taking too much, damage. However, while the Necrons are capable of such a thing, they caa also be capable of full on, drag out fleet ‘engagements. Listed below are a few common broad Necron tacts favored amongst players of the Necron, fleet, as well as ashore description of exch: “The Pincer: Deployment ofthe Necron fleet would be so ‘thacall the vessels would be angled towards the closest ‘edges of the table, towards the enemy of course This would be done on both sides of the deployment zone. On turn one, as many ships 2s possible are go activate their ineriless drives to race down both sides of the table with the hopes of getting to the sides and behind the ‘enemy fleet. ‘The Anvil and Two Hammers: A modification of The Pincet, the fleet is split into thirds. 2 ofthe leet does as ln The Pincer, but 13 16 pointed rectly at the enemy. This third is fot to go on All Ahead Full, but Instead is t move slower. It is preferable to use escorts in this roll as this group will be the aractive bait, as well as a24/9/08 Fano9_98-14 11:13 an Page 12 massive speed bump in the enemy fleets movement, AS ‘capital ships have the Victory Points table working against them, the escorts afe the logical anvil; however the Inclusion of a lone capital ship in the anvil might pose Useful t0 entice the enemy to go after this cental force Meanwhile, the two ‘hammers’ are to move up and around the enemy fleet as in The Pincer. Typically this, tacte works better than The Pincer alone, but depending ‘op one's fleet composition and points limi, one might be preferable over the other ‘The Blind Charge: The name says ic all. The entice leet heads directly towards the enemy, crusting in the protection their armour gives them, and locking onto Individual clusters of ships at a time whenever possible “The idea behind this tactic Isto cause crippling damage as ‘quickly as possible so that the z 10 the Necron fleet is made up for easily later on, once the fleet Is at close quarters with the enemy. ‘The Tacking Charge: This s similar to The Blind Charge, >but slower and less likely to result in catastrophic failure. This is done by zigzagging across the table to present the side atch as ‘often as possible, making it ‘much harder fo harm the fleet with battery fre Ie also, however, ‘exposes the fleet to fan increased time ‘out in the open, meaning more time for the ‘enemy to fre ‘upon the In addition to broad tactics, there is also a universal pale ‘of secondary tactics that can also be utilised by any fleet ‘These would be to either Focus Fire on a particular ship ‘or group of ships, or to Spread the Firepower out amongst multiple ships and squadrons. Both methods have their own advantages and disadvantages. For ‘example, by focusing fire, one can be sid of individual ‘enemy ships faster, but leave most ofthe rest ofthe enemy fleet unharmed and stil flly dangerous, and by spiting, fire amongst multiple targets one can hope to damage a large number of enemy ships and squadrons relauvely ‘evenly, causing dramatic decrease in the enemy flet's firepower ata sudden time in the game, but unfortunately It also takes longer to pull off as each target ship oF squadron gets relatively lite Incoming weapon's fire. ‘This was just an outline of commonly used Necron tactics ‘There are definitely more tactics out there, but these are used quite often by Necron fleets. COMMON NECRON PLAYER ERRORS Necron players usually do worse when they get arrogant in thei fleets capabilities and special rules. In fac, iis atthe root of most Necron losses. At ‘umes, it may actually be prudent o charge the ‘enemy and rely on the vesels' armour to get ‘them through the worst the enemy can £ fling at thems, bus at other times ~ most ‘Of the time ~ itis nota very good idea Knowing when to do this and - ‘when not to isFano9_98-14 2a/a/os 12531 pm Rage 13 RS a deceptively difficult skill for some new players to ‘understand, and to learn chis sal sa great step towards mastering the game. However, Necron players tend 10 charge when they become arrogant and stuck in the mire fof their special rules, thinking that they will be fine because of thei special abilities, Sill others who get too into using their Inertialess Drives might find themselves shooting off the batlefeld, even ‘with the steerable nature of Necron All Ahead F again, lof the fleet could cause one to miscalculate just how ‘much room there really is, and take unnecessary risks doing s0. Holding off on a chance in order to use the special attack methods is another issue ‘with new Necron players. They get eager to use their portals, Star pulse ‘generators, and Sepulchres when they find they just so happen to be in range 10 do s0, and sometimes lose out on the possiblity of ‘enemy vessel by instead using these secondary attack methods and doing neat 10 nothing to the enemy. Just because an ‘option is available does not mean it should always be used. Once again, it an ‘option that must be weighed heavily before being decided on; is worth the risk if use 1s, and what ate the Immediate risks i don't use iThese are the common Necron player errors, and do not ‘encompass all the possible mistakes one might do while playing as Necrons. ‘onclusion This concludes the analysis of the Necron fleet for Batdlefleet Gothic. I was intended to help those new and. old who utilise this lees, and even, perhaps, as a means to ‘defeat the Necrons by those who use other lets. Is my hope that the information contained in this article wil be lf some use to any who fead28/9/08 12514 pa Rage 36 eG , BLFHEIM ‘The Elves were slow to take up Roze-El's challenge, but once they saw how popular the game made their Dwarf, Human and even Halfling allies, they hastily formed several teams. The Eagles developed out of two of these ‘when, in a move similar to the recent Giants relaunch, their old image of daisy-sniffing pastoral weirdos was replaced with a more dynamic, business- like demeanour Judging by their hard-fought Blood Bowl win in the 2480 final, this has paid off well for the young team (that's young in terms of Elves, of course; many players are 250 or over!). Ores sull declare that one should never trust an Elf in a suit, but that hasn't stopped the Eagles realising their true potential as one of the finest passing play teams in the Old World. 2468 the Dantillerath Beechirees nd the Ashvale Valar combine to form the rewlook Eliheim Eagles after some clever business moves by haltEiven entrepreneur Galanté (the standard joke is that his mother was an Ef and his father was a Cost Accountand), ‘2474 Scandal breaks when the Eagles are thrown out of the Chaos Cup for rho other reason than being Elves ‘when the competition's sponsorship is taken over by Orcidas. After a lengthy court battle ~ and not a litle real ‘warfare besides ~ the NAF rule that Orcidas were wrong. The company pass up the chance to renew their Sponsorship in the following season, but Eltheim vow never co play in the Chaos Cup again, 2480 Many Elves make absolute fortunes by betting on their team when the Exgles beat the revolting Nargle's Rotters in Blood Bowl XX. How they actually managed this incredible eat ~ and without a single fatality either ~ is still being investigated by an official NAF committee. The investigation is ‘unfortunately being hampered by the fact that investigators keep dying after interviewing. the Rotters players, buts has uncovered evidence lof widespread use of Elven High Magic, animated grass, a huge vat of antiseptic and a covert team of troubleshooters fom the Aene-Clear Corporation, 2488 Sul, the investigation hasn't hampered the Eagles’ recent winning streak, which has been led by charismatie Valen Swi, whose brother Lucien is captain of the Galadeath Gladiators There isa spirit of confidence growing at beautifal Vale Stadium, Laurelorn. “Amidst the vines rising up the columns (Former) Conference: Arc (Former) Division: Wester Team Colours: Purple and Orange Symbol: An Eagle's Head Owner: Valshar Galante Head Coach: Perclian Ashblade Home Stadium: The Vale, [urelorn (eapacity 68,822, surfce es) fof the main stands, and the sun- ripened marigolds in the borders by the Dugouts, the bones of last season have been swept away, to make room for the challenge of the new. The fvestigation into that classic demolition job in Blood Bowl XX has been forgotten: the NAF have found ~ to their cost evidence of any a malpractice in that famous final a disappearing a fasta the Elves ean et tot The Elves never attempted to use the magic that won them that game again, 30 NAF observers have reported that the sudden transformation of the Nurge's Roters team into no worse than college students was the work of With the stigma of their sole championship removed, the Eagles are said (0 be very keen 0 have anotheran09_36-37 28/9/08 12:14 pm Page 37 tay And, to their credit, they have bute up a team like the ‘lassie 2479-80 team, founded on the solid passing ‘game for which the Eagles ace rightly famous Make no mistake, the Eagles are interested in more than the sales of team posters, mirrors and hair gel: they want their purple and orange to be ‘back in syle and that requires a Blood. Bowl win. So, they have groomed the very best squad they could; combining the elegance of good play with a strong sense of mayhem and the right designer labels ‘The Eagles’ game depends upon thelr ability fo move the ball rapidly from player to player before some noisome (Ore arrives like a battering ram, To this end, they have found themselves (0 top-rate ‘Throwers in a league that rarely sees one in each team, Valen Swift, the articulate team captain and fashion advisor (his brother is captain lof the Galadrieth Gladiators), has been joined by Soaren Hightower, whose disguised pass has become such a brillant attack form, Is he using magic to make the ball parally invisible Few seem prepared t0 condemn him out of, hand, but there were a number of instances last season when. lesser teams intercepted pigeons while the Eagles ran in scores. No doubt time will tell, though few non-Elves will still be alive when he publishes the truth in his memoirs. “The Eagles have a solid pool of Catchers, undoubtedly the best of ‘whom is Ibrahim Golddawn from the University of Kayro in Araby, a surprise graduate of the 2486 Crush (not a normal Elf recruiting technique) Expect him to have a brilliant season. Also, there is Highelm Lyrpadee, who seems to have a telepathic link with Hightower, and picks up some outrageously long passes. Some commentators expect that this “link” may be the subject of the next ‘vestigation into this eather publicity prone team, However, what the Eagles have realised this year, as have all the classic Bl teams throughout the bistory of the fame, is thatthe prety play can only begin when there are fewer than 11 homicidal maniacs on the pitch whose view ofthe game is at odds with yours, If you field 2 Throwers and St Catchers, you are demanding. great deal of your heavier troops. Orcish teams in particular have given up ever hoping to catch the "pransin’ litle gts ‘who don’ stand’fte” and have settled for trying o get to Swit and Hightower before they ean dance oif the pitch to the applause of approving. fashion: watchers So, although we can expect to see Golddawn operating behind the lines fom the word go, don't expect the Eagles (0 miss any opportunity (0 crump unwary opponents who expect only minimal opposition from Elves. And watch out for Flarren Branchstrength, who might just be the Eagles” ace if he can average litle better than the 120 paces a game he achieved in 2487788, Captain Soaren Hightower... Thrower Ibrahim Golddawn...Calchor Highelm Lyrpadre.... Catcher Fanatriel Cleardawn..Catcher Cathdrien Waterfall. Catcher Kapries Rootstem.. Lineman Frarron Branchstrongth Bitzer Kerredith Morr.....Linoman 10. Opaldawn Mardiell Lineman 11. Tall Erveden Lineman Substitutes ‘Sussurrus Morr Lineman Fennel Tallelm Lineman ‘akwarmth Salladrien Lineman Pinedweller Cumulus... Thrower Utlerien Morr Lineman pomp Aiemavazing brew tiny | 3228/9/08 12518 pa Rage 38 _ ELF PLAYBOOK rr2 by “Harry” Harrington ‘This article follows on from Harry's article last month, as the more astute of you will have guessed from the ‘cunning ttle. Having already covered the basics, this time he delves into the Dirty Ticks box to sce what the Pro Elves have in there alongside their skipping ropes and Barbies. After the fist few matches, your opponents are certain to have picked up a couple of skills and can really put che pressure on what i a very fagile line up. Remember that keeping your team alive priority; unless the dice gods decide to desert you there should be no team that can foutscore you in the league. What you need is the durability to keep a fll roster on the pitch for the entire ‘ame. There are two ways to do this. For the more aggressive minded among the Elf coaches (ike myselt) Block is the first skill I give every player (doubles notwithstanding) whereas other, more testosterone challenged, coaches prefer to take Dodge across the board. There are plusses and minuses to each strategy. By ‘aking Block your guys are more durable in defence and ‘offence, whereas a "Dodgy" team should leave you with no one ina square next to an opponent atthe end of exch, ‘turn ~ meaning you only have to withstand one blitz a ‘turn. I personaly fel this is quite a negative way to play and take every opportunity to beef up the durability of my team by reducing the umber of opponents they're facing ‘Where hoth the aforementioned tactics fall apart is against some of the power teams in the League. Chaos, Orcs and, ‘especially the latest version of Chaos Dwarves can grind ‘ou® a victory simply by scoring affer the other team has ‘taken 2 wip to the morgue. The tactic of receiving the ball and crawling up the park ewo squares a curn whilst battering the enemy before falling over the line for an ‘eighth turn touchdown isan absolute killer to a team like the Pro Elves, The coach has one of two choices: pick on the stragglers as mentioned in the last issue, oF try a snatch and grab. Ifthe opposition is Ores or Humans 1 tend to go for option one, and when facing Dwarves, CChaos Dwarves and against other high Strength, high AV ‘teams I go for option two, Why? Because if you're lucky ‘enough to catch a Deaf stagger it would be a miracle if you get through the armour and actually cause some ‘damage, and against Chaos Dwarves and Undead the stragglers are usually the 30K cannon fodder that the coach won't mind sacrificing. If this is the case a smash and grab is the only real option, In the ease on the next page, the nasty Undead coach has formed 2 cage and is teundling up the pitch inthe Funeral March (slowly plodding towards an eighth turn touchdown) ‘The ballcarrier is a Ghoul and some hard hitters designed to Keep him safe surround him. The Elf Blitzer has Leap and Strip Ball so as che Lineman has cancelled the wo assists the Blizer leaps between them to Blitz the Ghoul and most likely knack the ball to the flo. Now if he's feeling lucky he can follow up and attempt ro pick up the ball, If his luck holds then he can look to dodging cleat, >but even if he fas the ball wil scatter and «will be very hard for his opponents to grab i€. Since falling to pick the ball up would cause a turnover, «might be better to sneak a Catcher with Dodge into the cage to pick i up and slip free. OK, the rsks are high, buc if succeeds once in a {game you will have a two-goal cushion to play with and you can star to playa lide more conservatively.28/9/08 12519 pa Rage 39 ‘The other way to deal with the cage is to slow it dawn so much that they eventually have 0 make a break for it By surrounding che cage, but keeping fone square away, you can slow the march down to a crawl forcing the opponent to leave the cage behind and ‘art for the end zone. Ifyou have your guys in position you can swipe the ball on your own touchline and still score a TD that Turn, The Blier/ Defensive Tackle with Strip Ball wil force the Catcher to drop the ball then your ‘Thrower can pick it up and face up towards the halfway line before throwing a quick pass to one of the Lineman, ‘who in turn hands off to the Catcher for an end to end touchdown! By always keeping a Catcher within range of ‘the opponent's end zone you will instl a sense of desperation ia the away team’s coach who knows that ‘even the slightest mistake can be punished with a one ‘urn TD. Ifyou prefer you can leave a Lineman a range of ‘the end zone so he can gain the SPPs and you can keep ‘the more silled Catcher closer to the action, ‘This technique has its faults to0. You will need to have most of your Linemen with the Dodge skill to asist in keeping one square away and hope the opposition hasn't {got Tackle. In games against Tackle-heavy teams i's better {to uy the smash and grab eather than slowing them down as your team will fll down on a regular basis. Remember ‘though, that ifthe ball is on the floor your high Agility Elves will have a much better chance a picking i¢ up than, ‘the lower Agility teams that usually form the cage SPECIALIST SKILL PROGRESSION Youll find there are atleast two types of player for every position and deciding which of these you want to take will ‘determine how your team plays. ‘Thrower ‘There's the quintessential quarterback who stays back on his own touchline before launching a beautifully spiralling pass three quarters the length of the pitch. His stall progression 4s designed to make his the ultimate passer without ever getting close to an opposition player UUkimately the most headhunted player on the pitch, he relies on others to save him from getting squished whilst he perfects his throw: Accurate, Strong. Arm", Nerves of Steel, Dump off, and Safe Throw, make him the uluimate “Thrower in the game.JFano9_36-41 30/8/04 3:09 pm Page 40 ‘The other Thrower is a lot more down and dry: Sure Hands, Dodge, Block, Sidestep and Nerves of Steel makes for alot more durable Thrower who relies on chucking short of quick passes to ftee Catchers 40 they can sprint away forthe TD. He stil has a berter than average chance ‘of launching a long pass (AG 4 witha e-roll), but can mix Ie up with the big boys if he has to catcher ‘There are hoth offensive and defensive positions that need to be filled by a Catcher (f you think of a rugby ‘winger who has to tackle as much as he gets to run with ‘the ball, you can see Why matching skills to positions can really help) In my team I take four Catchers as quickly 2s, possible, two become the scorers whilst the other two become defensive tackles Offensive Catchers are, not surprisingly, designed to survive a blitz and sprint clea for the TD. Skills revolve around keeping him upright and increasing his chances of reaching the end one. Dodge, Jump Up, Sidestep, Sprint and Ssure Feet can really make him almost impossible to stop, but since he is only Strength 3 and won't stay upright for fever, you should uy to keep the ball out of his hands until he is ready to Defensive Catchers are there to take down the ‘enemy ballcarrier swipe the ball and get tothe Thrower Block, Strip Ball, Tackle, Sure Hands and Dodge means he can regularly alp into the opponent's cage, swipe the ball and skip cls ‘or against faster teams he can catch ‘those pesky Guster Runners, beat them up and rob the ball liters are probably the easiest players to gain SPPs in che early days of a league and can become absolutely awesome at taking down even the ‘toughest opponents ‘The more aggressive coach can turn his Blitzer into an ‘enforcer who can take down the biggest baddies on the pitch and make sure they stay down, Dauntless, Tackle, Dodge, Pile On’, can cause fear in even, the hardest Big Guy ‘The other type of lize is the bs thief who nips in land spoils the enemy play by ceither blitzing the ball carter of slipping through forthe incercepr. Catch, Pass Block, Dodge, Seip Ball and Nerves of Steel make attempting to throw around this player extremely dificult In the position above there is nowhere on the the attacker can throw the ball without the Blitzer bi thief nipping in the way and getting cwo 5+ chances 0 Intercept (Pass Block, Nerves of Steel and Catch). Lineman, “The Lineman is the most versatile player lp the team. Relatively inexpensive, these are the players you stand on the front line ready to take a pounding, but ‘with a few skills under their belts they «an become great utlity players. ‘The front row Linemen are the ‘willing victims that line up against ‘the worst thatthe opposition can throw at them, With a fow defensive minded skills you can make them almost impossible to shift, Block, Dodge, idestep, i the best defensive combo in the ‘game, enabling your Linemen to slip away ftom the front line Felatvely unscathed. ‘The frst Lineman that is lucky enough to get 2 sk should always be given the Guaed skill and turned into a Bodyguard. From then on you can either use him to shadow your Thrower to prevent him getting “squished, of use him in conjunction with the Enforcer Bliver to take down the Big Guys anywhere on the pitch. Knocking down Star Player or Big Guy is good, but unless he stays down i's often just a waste of time and effort; one or ewo Dity Players ip the squad can make sure anyone foolish enough to fall over never gets theand9_38-61 28/9/08 12:20 pm Page 41 f | { f ‘opportunity to stand back up. The easiest way to protect your own team and win the game isto reduce the number ‘of opponents that can hit back. Don’t worry about geting sent of - if you do get shown the red card W's likely that you've already stomped your way through a couple of the ‘opponents team and i's well worth the risk (have a look a¢ Doubleskul's article on Fouling in issue 7). For every Lineman you should try to get Block and Dodge then choose between Sidestep, Leader, Dirty Payer and even Kick, se ——— ——————— MY VIEW ON SPORTSMANSHIP Ifyou play a high Agility low AV team you can find yourself in a position where hanging on to the ball near the ‘opponent's end zone for 2 turn oF wo may seem an attractive option. In my View this snot in keeping with the idea) — bbchind these elegant sportsmen, and in a fun game between friends I recommend not using this tacuc. However, this is only if your opponent keeps to the same spirit. There is no team in the game that can't get a player from the line of scrimmage into the end zone in two turns. Those players who regulaly take cight turns to crawl over the, ‘white line for a TD and spend these turns dismembering your team are being just as beard, so feel free to resort 0, the run and hide tactic i Fouling is apart of the game. Anyone who says I won't foul you if you don’t foul me is, in my opinion, a big gle. If This sort of agreement over illegal procedures i, however, perfectly acceptable in my view. I always thought that Blood Bow! was the greatest friendly game GW have ever made, packed with tongue in cheek humour, sick jokes dnd fun. The one thing that can spoil it is when your opponent spends the entire game shouting "legal Procedure” — time and again. Iam nota cheat (much), Ido, however, get caught up in the game and sometime forget to move my ~ tumn counter In the Blood ow! Tournament this year EVERY player I faced asked to ignore the legal Procedure rule and that made the game a heck of alot more fan even in the competitive atmosphere of the biggest Blood Bowl a ‘Tournament of the year ce Point out mistakes to your opponent and only if he repeatedly offends should you even think of calling him for i Winning a game because you called an legal roceduse on turn eight when he was one square from the end z0ne ‘is bad sportsmanship pure and simple, and winning on such 2 technicality won't give you as good a feeling a6 {you don’t want your players broken and bleeding, go play Snap! and leave Blood Bowl for the real men (Be Ju. |sn09_44-47 28/9/08 12:36 pm Page 44 MAR MUAGERS BUILDING A WARMASTER SHIP By Tony Hardy Following last month's new rules for ships in Warmaster, we thought we'd show you how to make a quick and simple Warmaster sbip. Stage 1. Photocopy the plans for the ship and adhere them to a piece of strong card. The easiest way to do this, |s by applying 2 quick coat of spray mount to the back of the plans and then laying them carefully down on the card to dry. See Stage 2. Using a sharp scalpel or craft knife, and a stecl rule for straight lines, carefully cut out al the pieces Stage 5. Take the base of the ship and score round the ‘edges, then carefully fold up the side tabs where the sides ‘of the ship's hull will be attached Stage 4. Take the sides ofthe ship (a single plece with the back of the ship) and score them at the point where the hull becomes the prow and where the sides jin the back ff the ship. Once this is done your can cake the sides of the ship and attach them to che hase by gluing along the tabs. Begin at the back of the ship, then fold the sides round to meet the hull, then carefully bend the sides round where they are scored so that the follow the prow and form a point atthe end. Stage 4 Stage 5. At this sage, you can add some additional supporting struts inside the ship's hull if you feel your model needs them.28/9/08 12:37 pa Rage 45 Stage 6. Now take the deck of the ship. As with the base, score round the edge of the deck, then gently fold the abs down. Put a litle glue along each of the tabs and then. carefally lower it into place ia the hull, taking care t0 ensure it les fat If you've positioned a few supporting struts inside the bull then you can use these to keep the deck level rad Stage 7. Next isthe small building atthe back ofthe deck (the deckhouse). Score the piece along the line where ‘wall Becomes roof and attach ie between the sides of the ship, running down tothe deck Brera Stage 8. The next part is known as the forecastle deck ‘Tis isthe slightly raised deck which occupies the prow of the ship. This, ike the deckhouse (Stage 7) isa single piece which will need to be scored and folded and then glued in. Ar its base i joins the main deck while the upper piece is folded over and attached tothe inside ofthe prow to givea raised deck, just afew millimetees lower than the sides of the ship self Again you'll need to be careful to make sure the deck stays level Sore Stage 9. Ar this point i's a good idea to add your masts We haven't included any masts on the plans, since these ate best made from other materials, such as wooden, dowel, plasticard rod or even the casing of a biro. Our ship has two masts, though the model could equally well, have one, two or three depending on personal taste. Take any sturdy cylinder you can find and cut « to an appropriate height. Both masts on our ship are 125mm, high. Atach che mast a any suitable point. Ifyou want to follow our example precisely; we've indicated points for the masts on the plans, though you can place them elsewhere if your prefer the look‘You can finish off the masts in any way you like, be it a simple fat top, pechaps a flag of even a more intricate Stage 10. Ar this point, the detailing begins. The plans Include a numberof ‘frames’ ~ pieces of card which match, the shapes of the ship but are made up of loose beams rather than being solid pieces. Cut out all the excess card from inside these frames. rron Stage 11. Glue each of these fiames of card over the relevant area of the ship ~ along the sides to give a sense of great planks of timber held together by a set of braces and sibs along the ship, around the deck building t0 provide doors and windows and so on. These frames provide raised areas and give the impression of timbers and beams holding the ship together. They help to give the ship both detal and shape, and can be picked out as, lnceresting areas when painting the model Sean Stage 12. Ac this point you can add any further decaling You want, We've decided to characterise our model as & High Elf ship, though the basic galleon design lends itself easily to conversions suited 0 most of the races of the \Wathammer world. We've added two bol throwers to the front of the ship along with some High El style sails. You should add any amoune of detailing you want, though there's no real need asthe ship, asi stands at Stage 11, 1 finished to all intents and purposes. > Oe Derr) Detail 4BAFonds 48-85 28/9/04 12:39 pn Page 48 fa WHERE'S MY BACK-UP! By Benjamin Dell ‘en Dell is a new contributor to Fanatic magazine, and his first article is this great exposition on how to bring an Jnquisitor's vast resources to bear in your games, should you so wish GREATEST ASSETS If you've an Inquisitor player, and you've read Dan, Abnett’s fantastic Elsenhorn tllogy, then you may have noticed that many of Elsenhorn's greatest astets as an Inquisitor are not his psychic powers, weapons or combat-eteran companions, The most important assets he has support him away from combat; fe, the Distatf (hs School of psychic nulls), his mansion libraries, Amos his Savant, his network of agents, his association with the Rogue Trader Maximillion, and even Fisenhorn's own, ability to adopt cover identies. All these elements give Eisenhora powerful resources to call on ‘This article is a way for players and GMs to determine ‘what support and assecstheis Inquisitors have away from the batlfield As well asthe benefits of having a support system for your Warbands the article gives nine sample background elements and concludes with an example ‘Warband that has benefited from the system. WHY BOTHER? ‘You may say that Inquisitors, by theie nature, have access to the whole of the Imperium, so why try to work out their support This sof course true (and this article won't stop that), however being theoretically in charge of anything often feels like being actually in charge of nothing. Ships, gadgets and even specialised followers can he allocated by the GM for speciic campaigns without back-story, and removed without explanation to facilitate ‘campaign plot, particularly ta the “sandalones’ created for the Inquisitor Conspiracies. Havinga support network ives GMs ways to intraduce these things consistently. As there are no doubt Inquisitors who prefer to ‘commandeer what they need as they need it, here are just as many Inquisitors, like Etsenhorn, who build up networks of reliable support that are constantly at their disposal to aid investigations. This article introduces a system of ‘Resources’ chat warbands can use For players, the benefits ofthis system are that it's an easy ‘way to customise and give personality toa warband and it allows them to feel more in control of the warband's development, t00. For GMs, ‘Resources’ can be an extremely useful tool as ‘well for the following reasons: © Itallows GMs to control what warbands can do away from, and even what support they have oon, the butlefield © It provides plot hooks, recurring locations characters and back-stories to campaigns that ‘an help build up a sense of tory momentum by stringing together ‘compartmentalised ‘games that would otherwise seem to lack progression. © Iran help players think about their warbands as characters rather than models, giving them personality cohesion and more interesting inks to stories. This can be even more of a bons for ‘on-Inguisitorial warbands (ike Genestealer Cults, Mutant bands and Rogue Traders) as they zarely have the Inquisitor ‘standby-plot of looking to bash the next *(Alien, leretie Daemon = delete as appropriate). Finding a believable plot hook for these interesting and unusual groups can be diicult. Tying up a swarband’s vested interests and assets into ‘campaign is a sure-fie way to involve them, © These assets ean also raise whole new aspects of the campaign as players’ warbands take part in ‘often shorter, game sessions to protect, enlarge ‘or squander their Resources HOW TO INCLUDE RESOURCES IN YOUR WARBANDS, Resources are how warbands represent all the elements of theit ‘organisation’ (or lack af) that don't enter the Datlefield. Players MUST be responsible when picking and using Resources because they area ‘storytelling’ tool rot game-balanced rules. Min/maxing using this system may be possible but should be strongly discouraged by the GM! 1 should mention here that ifyou use Resources simply 25 a lst of chings the Inquisitor has access to, then you are missing one ofthe best parts ofthis system ~ linking these. Ino the warband's story. For example, so your Inquisitor travels in a Rogue Trader's clipper... why? Is it part of a ‘cover density? Is the Rogue Trader sill aboard ~ does he fully suppor the Inquisitor oF is he coerced? Always (asa player or GM) try to establish why a watband has a Resource and it will be much more likely to generate ideas for future game sessions.28/9/08 12:40 pa Rage 49 Use Resources to drive the sory line of your campaigns and give your warbands motivation and it should enhance Your gaming; use them to power game for a warband and you could have problems ‘There are three ways I've suggested below co include Resources in your warbands; each one has benefits that Til mention © Wishlist — Players take whatever Resources they need to create the support the Inquisitor hhasat his disposal, This should DEFINITELY be under GM supervision as it will be easy for players using this method to lis eversthing-but ‘herktchen sink. This method is particularly good at creating high-level Inguistor,fally embroiled i sector wide, oF even Imperium wide conspiracies. The drawback is that if players or GMs can't cope withthe large Amount of Resources available to them it becomes overwhelming and can ruin games © Bolt-ons — The GM assigns a number of Teves of Resources to the watbands and the players can pick their Resources from the list ‘nul chey have used up those Levels. Asa rough guide, A. Warband receives $ Levels to choose from the Resources lst. This is good stating point if you are not sure about using this campaign aid — for ‘example, ifyou don’t want to unbalance an on. going campaign. Ie also easy to build up in blocks of 5 Afyou find you do want more Resources available to players, and so introduce more of theie support networks 1, Warhand receives 10 Levels to choose from the Resources list. A good compromise point, giving players freedom over whether to specialise in one Resource of have a more diverse bus less powerful selection, This should be enough Levels o get players seriously thinking about what they can do ‘with their warband and will provide a couple of ‘major elements for plot hooks and characterisation but stil leave them with ideas about all the things they would like to work towards in the future . Wathand receives 20 Levels to choose from the Resources ls; this should be enough to provide a fall specteum of talored Resources for the Inquisitor Like the Wishlist’ method, there can be problems if it provides more Resources than either the players of GM can handle © Ready Reckoner ~ This last method can only by used with newly created Warbands. The GM assigns a rough points value (asing the Ready Reckoner system atthe back of the Inquisitor Rulebook) co the players and, lke building an army, they create their force within that point limit, the only addition being that they can buy Resources for 10 points per Level. “The advantage is that it allows warhands different options about what areas they would like to favour ~ battlefield prowess, an Inquisitrial Black Ship, spy nerworks, a well defended base ete. GM's should allot about 1,000-1,500, points for warbands, more than that and players no Tonger have to make choices they have enough points 0Fanos 48-55 28/9/04 12:40 pn Page 50 d bbe ‘good! in most areas. This © Make Sure i's Applicable ~ Resources Levels. can only be counted towards applicable scores. So with an Occult Library (laformation $ Levels) and a Spy Network {Information 3 Levels) while you have spent 6 Levels in Information you couldn't use all 6 to look for a Rebel Leader, Occult Library would not be appropriate, so you could only count the 5 Levels of Spy Neowork method can ensure chat wathands are roughly matched in power but sul tailored individually. The foaly problem is that ipoint-counting’ can bbe at odds with the ees © Bonuses ~ Each listed Resource has its own ne suggested way of being used, the bonus cmvning it confers. These have Been kept deliberately simple, if you wish to add more detall or create your own Resources feel fee. Inguistor. HOW RESOURCES WORK Below are a small number of ‘rules’ on how Resources work © Tapping oF Spending ~ Some Resources can © What is Represented ~All Resources represent better spent or tapped. Tapping’ something player must pick what tis is a Resources Level means using iin its normal the time it is purchased. With some ofthe capacity ‘Spending’ Levels increase theie Resources this will be obvious (like Transpor), potency but permanently loses the Levels (the with others it may be less #0, eg, Favours ~ effects of this will be described in more detail in ‘what this means isthe Inquisor has contacts in Resources where it applies) 4 particular sphere of influence; pick from Underworld, Guilds,Law Enforcement [A Spending can allow warbands strapped for ime Mministatunk ete to get a boost when they need it, but a the cost of © Mulupte Levels ~ Resources can be acquired more longterm growth more than once ~ eg, an Inquisitor can have 2 mansion Base (worth 5 Levels) but sso $ back: alley hideouts (of I Level each) making a total of 8 Levels spent in the Resource - Base B. Levels can be spent individually or in groups and added to tapped Levels fo the purposes of making. rolls, (4, 4 Levels of Information — one Spy dies Pere Mae ee ee ee Sr eee ee ee ee een ete Pr ee oe ey only used for certain missions. Choose either ‘Ragtag Bunch’ or ‘Loyal Crew’ when you buy. the Levels RS er ere Hee | hebeatiaarbeeee erwemnaapronienn pares ‘waybahd ~ fot improvements o old ones. Characters can he any type But the player should er ea ee aie Peete eats a eee oe ee eee ee ea ery Pee et eee errr ere eer yet aro Imperial Guard etc). These characters can and should be created as individuals though. All teeters eter NOTES eee eee eee eee es sutomatially included next game, the GM is the final arbiter of when a characteris available ete een eet eee ey Pee eee eee ees Elites’, Space Marines, Imperial Assassins, or other characters with stating stats of 100+ cannot be bought in this way they must be recruited in-game,2a/a/os 12541 pm Rage 51 getting the important secrets to you but the spy network is not destroyed [-1 Information Level but add three dice to that particular roll, making a total of 6 dice rolled). . IPResources are tapped they Femain that way for 2 minimum of I game week (more ifthe GM feels it Is appropriate) and cannot be used (tapped) again "until they have been untapped. D. Levels of Resources that are tapped for one purpose can stil be spent on another purpose; this represents Inquistors pushing theis Resources 10 breaking point Campaigns - Ifyou are using the Experience Points rules from Inquisitor, costs 2 [Experience Points per Resources Level. Any increases should be explained. Need quick idea for a game? Pick 3 Resources category. roll B6 ~ odds: something. bad happens to a warband's Resources (I = lose level). Evens: something good happens 103 warhand's Resources (6 = gain aleve). For ‘example: Odds (Transport) the warband's spaceship is boarded by pirates, time for a battle. Evens ~ (Information) the Inquisitor has the chance to get a rare tome to boost his brary, now all he needs to do is steal i from 2 Noble collector a ee ee eer ce ee ets Parente Sooty No een Reece) pe ore ema rere Crea eae Ey eee ee ee eT] eae Sarto eg ee Cea baie re eee Ce eee ee tee eee eRe) een ees cera a ene eae eg eee ee tcc ear eten nce cc try aa ee eee) See ere ea ee Ce ee ers percentile test 01-50 = on target, 51.95 = scatter, 96+ Teleporter malfunctions ~ GM decision ‘On eflects eg, mutation, possession, alternate reality / dreamscape battle, death). Pe tt en ed er eee iT es eet met era) ee ee et tet ee ee Sea ee ee ert ee ened eee ee ek een errant ec) +2 In Game Role ~ Major: Combat Role (1-2 Level Vehicles only — create a vehicle using the Sinn ay mer ern torrent} + 3 Bombardment Capable (Level 10 ships only ~ GM Disereti er ee ee ene ee eee big enough (Levels 5-10}, Small ships may have 1 Level of Services, Medium ships may have 2 Levels and Large ships may have 3 Levels of Base Services on board ~ these must still be PonyPoe ae a en ete eee eee sy ee ey eee ee ee eee eee ec heretical), ip offs, Administratum records, Steet Fixers, Information Brokers ete Nel nt oes eee en ee eet Reed Pr ee en ee ee ete et ee for geting ie (GM's all). If the type of information searched for matches what the player has selected as the source of his Information then the player gets a reduction to the difficulty level eit FE ee eee eee emt Frereraneny bein Sa ee Ca Risrihonne ieee are eee ern See eerie Peres pel eee oe ee ee eet ek ae eee reer) PONDS Celio OV ene eee fieter} holdings that the warband can use o get what they need, NOTES. Cen en ea ee eee eas eee aa ete RENTING’ - By ‘tapping’ Levels, warbands may rent and are given an equivalent thuimber of Levels in the Resource to be emulated. Warhands can hite ‘specific things ere oe eae eae eee ey but can pay or hited guns. They can pay a Rogue Trader to work with them but eannot Perea) Tee ae en eee kee een ry ae ee cee ee ene eer ae es permanently purchases ic for the warband ~ cross off the spent Financial Clout Levels Pee cen ee ee eee ees reenter Se ae ee ee eee ‘Though you are expected to ight your ovin battles this mentor will occasionally provide you with aid in one form or another, and may also expect you to undertake tasks in repayment NOTE: Reed ee ee eee ‘SUBTLE AID'— By ‘tapping’ Mentor Resources Levels players are given an equivalent ‘umber of Levels inthe chosen Resource, but these MUST be specific things that last for DG ere ee Seen ae Oe emt eet nee cy Or vend reinforcemiebts) ToS ret he ne ne eee ce Tt ee et ee oe en ea aa eee Cee erie ae eee ete set their good books), mark the gained ‘item’ on your sheetFe ge ee eee ee ee ey Pat sony seen rine ng eerebionmmnnr Toy eaten preter enserrer iin ere Peesteeeseresne eee eet See Ena bene eceeerett yo aC ay eterna ee tee atte Ee ee nee reel ere ort Perera mm ae ees Faperierer vier try eT es : Large Unoried Base ( Servicesfevels) ees Soe at ee ce) perenne hers (Medium Base could therefore hold either one Advanced Service of 2 Basie Services) Fceweeereverenr eluate i Witsnomtie ane Cayton Ot A ee ea ney tr te Ett Peer ee eet eee ipecebtenne neencreea eree ta See ee er tee ee eee eee eee Eeoe eri verenencsan Re tee eee eee Cet onrpben sits) pelenresetin penned roe ante panels TPE Maen TTT en ease pcaeierivie arenes Ritual site (3 rtual’s [not peychic power] purpose can be researched each month OR every two weeks, 3 neal can fobenee py tee minnie wy eee) Se ee nt eee eee) Seen ent Seer trees eeceec rer tty Ret eee nee eee eee ee eee ee ee ee eyFanos 48-55 28/9/08 12:42 pn Page 54 d SUMMARY - This Resource covers the contacts that owe y the groups over which you can exert influence. Players must pick whether they have either ‘Favour of ‘Pacts’ a the time they are acquired. Permanently expended points represent yo Cen eer eee) forcing people to help ~ burning them in the proces = FO ee oe ee eee ere a ingluence that can help you (examples might be; loyal Imperial Citizens, Medicae, Adeptus Mechanicus, Rogue Traders ete), The number of Levels of Favours indicates the levels of aid Hise rer ae he ean Tene eae Tent eeaTg Siar Been eats a eee ee ee ee ee mutual ad with you ~ Noble Hive Houses, Traders Guilds, Arbites, Imperial Guard Regiments, Planetary Governors, Rogue Traders, Pirate Fleets, Eldar Outcast etc. The number of Levels of Pact indicates the strength ofthe relationship ~ roll Level number of D10 versus a GM set dificulty number. As these are close allies you may reroll one dice but for every thing you ask ‘of them they have the righ to ask you to eee ots (QUR MAN IN THE FIELD A WORKED EXAMPLE, Below is a mock up of how a watband might use Resources to complement its concept; Ive assigned 10 Levels Interrogator Ely Frost bas served Inquisitor Truman for decades; be bas long bad command of bis oun team of agents and bas full autbority from the Inguisitor In recent months they've been tracking and infiltrating a Rebellion movement; going undercover tx Frost's speciality [Cover Identity ~ Imperial Citizen’; 4 Levels] In case of problems on the missions, Bost bas nominated a Safe-Hlouse (Base 1 Level = Unforciied Bolthole} Frost has a good relationship with Truman, but bas repeatedly offers of becoming an Inquisitor; be 4 content to serve Thuman, [Mentor 2 turned down Levels, wth potential so grow as Frost progresses} Truman often assigns promising interrogators to Frost's team. Frost puts them through thetr paces and sets the standards expected of an Inguisttor. (Followers ~ Loyal Crew’ 2 Levels; Interrogators/Inguistor Acolytes) Frost ts hard-bitten and bas always bad an eye for the seamy side of life so bas garnered several favours from underworld sorte that be can call in [Favouts 1 Level UnderwoeldiCeiminal) By deciding on Resources I liked I've created a concept of ‘what this wasband willbe like that: Influences the way create them (As ‘undercover agents Frost's boys are armed with highsech but concealable ‘weapons and easily obrained ‘guerrilla’ weapons) Influences the way they are played (I can see Frost’s‘no- rponsense Agent style taking form already) Provides scope to develop (Frost's relationship with ‘Truman, a more advanced Base-of operations, building a spy network, a shuttle for insertion and extraction) Gives plot hooks for the GM to consider (Frost's criminal past? What / happens to the Rebellion? Will they want revenge and track down Frost: What of Truman's schemes and enemies? Is the latest ‘new ‘recruit’ more than he seems?) While a background with these clements wasn't impossible to do without the Resources, it made i a lot easier to develop the bones ofa detailed back-story. hope you find ths article useful but at the end of the day 4s personal choice for players and GMs ~ If you don't want co use the system, don'trenmectcc eg eno Sei a SUMMARY - Allows you to travel incognito, whether this isto ide from the ee et ee eee Identities are divided into those tha are average citizens and those Identities that have ‘more convoluted stories and possibly special circumstances - pick at purchase (isa a eee ee eee Ee eens eet ees et een Keene cen reer ‘personas of minor merchants, workers and refugees etc— anything that cannot pass a5. Peer ee aera ee eee ee eT CS Aliens or Mutants). The number of Levels affects the quality ofthe Cover Identiy and, the number of characters who can benefit. Resisted rolls made between searcher and Perret es ea eee ees eee) popseee ret eens ea aad Stel a eee ores SG ae eee eee ee ee ee eee Maintenance crew cover identity for example. Higher Levels are idenuites that attract pee eee eee eee eee ree en erie enn atte an eet ee percent ee genet eee Teer ee eee ‘member who fall into this category (these extra Levels do NOT add to the overall score for tests!), These unusual Cover Identities must be explained justified SUMMARY - Represents dedicated people who work for your warband in 3 non-combat manner. These could be Adeptis Mechanicus researchers, grease monkey ship's crew, Adeptus Pee tent ene cen er eee rer et er eee ad seneschals (good for leaving in charge of 2 Base) etc. Players mist pick at purchase whether the eae ratsa seer See ee ee een A group of NCF's get-2 to the dificulty of any rolls made related to their field (eg. ship's crew eee et ee nee ee ee ae Peretti T ey ent een en ea Sar ea ee ever) peee ee ee dlificulty number of related rolls - specialists can also manage their own Resoured}\holdings and players should have a particular concept / background ideas, In addition, foreach time they are used Specialists make demands (GM determines what ~ eg, fafe equipment and materials ‘which must be hunted down), eps Roll Level number of D10 versus a GM set difficulty number. The successes indicate the quality and timescale of tak performed, Spending Levels permanently triples the dice rolled but you ies eee ac ee ee cee nee ray eet GMs (or players with approval) can create many new Resourees. When designing ‘honuses’ ty to limit the impact on the tabletop games to aid before or after the battle (or atleast keep them Peters eyFanos 56-65 raises 3 pm Fage 56 SCAVVIES By Jake Thornton In this latest trip into the depths we find ourselves in the worrying company of the least savoury of all the ‘Necromundan Gangs. Scavvles are the very deegs of humanity, though they are so devolved and twisted that they can be hardly considered human any more. They ate severely deformed and often mutated by the toxic environment they live ie Seawwies dress in rags and are caked in the most Indescribable foulness. Their skin is a yellow and disgusting mass of sores, warts, blisters and cracks. Theie limbs are often so withered or shrivelled that crude hooks and peg legs are a common sight, though any Scavyy 00 crippled to defend himself s easy prey for his fellows Scavvles scratch out an existence in the most foul and polluted wastelands ofthe Underhive, hungrily watching {or an opportunity to murder, rob and pillage anyone and anything nearby: Scavies have to band together to survive land a typical band will be made up of several extended, land severely inbred families. The dominant male in che band rules through brute strength, low cunning and hhaving as many siblings as possible co exert his wil ‘Though individual Scawies pose litle threat t0 a wel armed gang they are cunning enough to use waps, ambushes and weight of numbers to even the odds ‘Occasionally 2 Seavy king will arise and unite several Seavey bands together into a ramshackle tribe. Such coalitions can create a ragged horde of Scawies big, ‘enough to overrun settlements and wading holes. The ‘excesses of King Blacknose the 81st are sill eemembered ‘with a shudder in the Underhive and the seslement of Downtown has yet to recover from its period of rulership by the so-called Beggar King, Forcunately Scavvy kings are usually more concerned with avoiding the attention of the authorites than conquest. ‘They are far more likely to use fear, intimidation and ‘extortion to get what they want. Theleserofulous subjects ‘move in to blockade vital resources and charge Underhive dwellers “calls” and “taxes” whenever they have the numbers to get away with it AC Umes like these the honest, hard-working setters will look to gangs and Bounty Hunters to run the Scavves off until fe gets back 10 normal again, SPECIAL: RULES Scavvles may use Hired Guns (who will ight for them) as rormal, and will bth take captives and ty to rescue their ‘own as other gangs. Other than that, Scawvies need some special rules oftheir own to cover the fact that they just aten't like ‘normal’ gangs such as Escher of Van Saar ‘Territory Scavvies start with a single plece of teritory and they cannot hold more than a single piece of territory ata time ‘This original territory will always be Scrofulous Wastes Serofulous Wastes are foulsmelling and disease-ridden piles of refuse and decay that generate no income Scavsies may move their camp to another piece of territory if they capture it However, thei disgusting and degenerate way of life quickly reduces even the finest of territories toa similar level of degradation as their original home. For this reason, the Scawvies can only gain income fom a territory after the battle in which they capture & ‘This will take one Seavvy to collect, and will yield the ‘maximum value of the teritory oF 100 credits (whichever 1s smaller) as everything useful in itis either removed oF contaminated by filth. After that it is changed co Serofulous Wastes and alls original values are lost, even. ifsc is subsequently recaptured. Ifthe Scavvies lose their current base camp they quickly find another place to dele. Give them another Sceofulous Wastes, Feeding the Masses Seawies need to eat like everyone else, though they are famously broad-minded when it comes to deciding what counts as food. Each warrior needs 2 credits worth of supplies per batle. Work out what's needed between, battles when you do all of che other bookkeeping. Hired Guns and special characters don't need 0 be given supplies as it's assumed that thelr pay is more than enough to keep them in rat burgers. Zombies, Ghouls and Seawy Dogs are assumed to forage theie own supplies and {do not need to he accounted for by the gang. Foraging Anyone Who wasn't seriously injured in the previous battle can go foraging. This includes Bosses, Seawies and Seales, though they can't perform any special tasks such as visiting the Outlaw Trading post or working the gang's territory if they forage. Each forager collects D3 credits ‘worth of stuf from the wastes. Hired Guns and special characters never forage. Thats not what they'te paid forFanos 56-65 raises 9 pm Fage 57 Cannibals Seavwies are not above a spot of cannibalism when starvation looms. If Scavvy gang can’t or won't pay out 2 ‘credits per gang member to avoid suffering the effects of starvation, the Savvy player can decide to put one or more members ofthe gang oF prisoners in the pot instead. You may choose (0 feed your gang with bought supplies, a ‘cannibal stew, of a combination of the ewo, Each victim ‘that goes inthe pot willed a number of angers equal to: ‘Vietim's Strength x Toughness x Wounds So, for example, fa normal Seavvy Is put in the pot he will, feed 33% 1 = 9 membets of the gang ‘You may not eat the Boss followers (even Scavvies draw the linea that) Distoyal One thing that Scavvies are seldom accused of is loyalty ‘They're fickle and untrustworthy (as well as smelly and disease-ridden) and this makes hard to hold together a big horde for long. Couple this with the naturally ‘conniving and untrusting Boss, and you've gota gang that sutiers an appalling rate of desertion After each battle, onceall the Experience, Injuries, Trading Post purchases, hiring new gang members and so on have ‘been completed, make a Leadership test for the Scavvy Boss. This represents how convincing he's been in his